Last updated September 12, 2026.
Why “not negotiable” isn’t the same as “not reducible”
Alberta’s wires companies — ENMAX Power, EPCOR, FortisAlberta, ATCO Electric, ACE —
file their tariffs with the Alberta Utilities Commission. Those tariffs set out each rate class and
what it costs. Nobody gets a private discount, and any company promising you one is not describing
Alberta.
What varies is which parts of the tariff get applied to you. That is a function
of your rate class, your billing demand, the riders attached to your account and how your meter is
configured — and all four are administrative decisions that can be, and often are, out of date.
The four things worth checking
| What | Why it drifts |
|---|---|
| Rate class | Set when the account opened, often years and one or two tenants ago. A site that has changed how it operates can sit in the wrong class indefinitely — nobody re-checks it for you. |
| Billing demand | Demand charges are usually driven by a peak set in a single interval, and some tariffs carry that peak forward for months. One unusual day can be paid for repeatedly. |
| Riders | Temporary adjustments that come and go. Worth confirming what is actually on your account and whether it belongs there. |
| Metering | Multiple meters on one property, or a meter configuration that no longer matches the building, can cost more than it needs to. |
It works while you are under contract elsewhere
This is the part most businesses miss. Delivery charges have nothing to do with who sells you
your energy, so reviewing them does not require switching retailers, breaking a contract or waiting
for a renewal date. If you signed a three-year deal last spring, this half of the bill is still open
to you today.
How big is this half of the bill?
For most Alberta business electricity accounts, distribution and transmission run
40–60% of the total — frequently more than the energy itself. It is the
larger half, and it is the half nobody shopping you a rate will look at.
Book a free Energy Cost Audit
Send us one recent electricity bill and one natural gas bill. We review both halves — the
energy you buy and the delivery charges you are billed to receive it — and come back with a
written summary of what we found and what, if anything, is worth changing. No cost, no obligation,
and no requirement to switch anything.
Upload your bills — free Energy Cost Audit
Prefer email? Send your bills to
info@getenergy.ca, or call
(780) 665-4771, Monday to Friday 9 AM–5 PM.
More for Alberta businesses
- Business energy in Alberta — the overview
- The Energy Cost Audit — what we review and what you get
- Distribution and transmission charges on a business bill
- Small business electricity rates in Alberta
- Commercial natural gas in Alberta
- Do you need an energy broker in Alberta?
Energy prices move every week. Our Alberta
Energy Market Report tracks wholesale power prices, the natural gas reference price and retail
rate movement every Monday.
Get Energy is an Alberta competitive retailer and energy broker serving
residential, small business, farm and commercial consumers. Get Energy is a tradename of Utility
Network & Partners Inc.